A Brief History of Quodpot
by Marc Rowley
Summary: The most glorious of North American wizarding sports, described within... Please Read and Review!
1. Quodpot Introduction

centerbuA Brief History of Quodpot/b  
By Marc Rowley  
Based on "Harry Potter" by JK Rowling/center/u  
  
IPreface/I  
Welcome Quodpot enthusiasts and newcomers alike! In this wonderfully written piece, this author will explore the depths an intricacies of Quodpot, its rules (and their breaking), its teams, and its spread across the globe as a viable sport, worthy of praise and song. There are many that would debate the merits of this most glorious pastime, however this author holds the opinion that nothing could be more entertaining, passionate or exciting than a good game of Quidditch.  
  
This sport, however, has not had enormous success out of North America, often put up to the arrogance of nations obsessed with Quidditch, Quodpot's forerunner. In this text, it will also be unearthed the fact that Quodpot is showing some signs of becoming popular abroad, and we will offer an exclusive preview of the next Quodpot World Championship.  
  
Indeed, Quodpot has drawn us wizards together as much as it forces us apart, cheering on our own teams and players. We have moments of triumph and despair, as well as grievous injury, to many players of this fine sport, and the same to spectators who occasionally try to catch a dropped Quod. And so, without further adieu, may we delve into the depths of the history, rules, and present day playing of Quodpot.  
  
IHistory/I  
  
Quodpot is not an old game. It was created by Abraham Peasegood in 1762, the date given in his diary of "Quaffle exploding, lizard eaten". He was a man of few words, and so the story of the game's origins is perhaps less exact than many historians would like; though through painstaking research it has been shown that Quodpot is actually a variation of Quidditch.  
  
The story goes the Peasegood had taken a Quaffle with him from the Old World, intending to recruit a Quidditch team in the area around Boston, America. The Quaffle, however, had been stored near his wand, and Peasegood did not seem to have followed wand-safety instructions, thus when he removed the Quaffle from his bag, it exploded. So how did such a chance encounter provide the world with this sport?  
  
Abraham Peasegood was born in Plymouth, England, in 1757. He grew up on the water, mostly due to the fact that his house was a raft, both his parents being merchants. He had seventeen siblings, and so as soon as he was of age, Peasegood spent much time on his broom, to escape the rather strained demands of raft life. He visited much of Europe in his travels, and so learned the game of Quidditch at the age of twelve, in Quiberon, France.  
  
The young Peasegood proved adept at it, and so resisted when told he had to leave France to return to England, resisted so hard, in fact, the Peasegood Crater still exists in Northern France. Nonetheless, he acquiesced, helped along by a powerful Summoning Charm. Once he arrived back in England, Peasegood spent a short time with the Pride of Portee, but was ejected from training camp after an incident involving a jinxed Bludger.  
  
Failing his career in Quidditch, Peasegood began a life at sea. He spent time as a fisherman, and finally, when offered fifty Galleons to settle a colony in the New World, left his life in England behind. The voyage was not short of peril; many members of the crew died, or killed each other in competitions over who had the worst breath, scraggliest hair, or most irritating Sneakoscope. Peasegood himself narrowly avoided death after winning the last dubious honour, and was forced to swim the final forty miles to shore, aided by stolen Gillyweed.  
  
Finally, wet, cold, and bedraggled, Peasegood arrived with his trunk on the shores of Maine. He spent hours each day trolling around wizarding towns, looking for work, and was given odd jobs, such as destroying Horklumps and Disillusioning Hippogriffs. Peasegood scraped a few galleons to buy a house in the village, which was held together by a variety of charms and hope. He spent a brief time as a waiter in a local tavern, frequented by sailors and settles, before the mention of the next Quidditch World Cup re-ignited his passion for the sport. He returned to his home that night, he pulled the Quaffle out of his bag, tossed it around a few times and. it exploded, leaving more than a few singed books and covers in his ramshackle room.  
  
The next day, Peasegood spend his entire life savings, fourteen Sickles, on three new Quaffles. He gathered some friends from around town, and they set to work making the new Quaffles just as volatile as the old. It was nearly three weeks of arduous work, in which Peasegood was nearly evicted from his home before the same effect was had on the new balls, and now a method was devised to prevent them from exploding, once they had been treated.  
  
With the help of the local landlady, a potion was concocted that would prevent the Quaffle from exploding, and would allow the "Quod Charm" to be performed on the newly re-named Quod multiple times. Peasegood and his friends began experimenting with new games to play, not the least subbing it into real Quidditch games for their amusement, and eventually decided to place a pot of the solution at either end of a field or street. The goal was to place it into the pot, while on broomsticks, to keep it from exploding. Quodpot was born. 


	2. Quodpot Evolution

IEvolution/I uBalls:u  
  
/uQuod- uthe Quod is the oldest ball in Quodpot, and indeed, the only one. The game is centered on its explosive properties, and thus the entire point is to essentially not be blown to pieces by it. It is a red ball, made of leather, roughly 22 centimetres in diameter. Aside from the explosives, it has a variety of charms on it, including one that sticks the Quod to the hand of whoever touches it, until thrown. This eliminates the need of holes or straps to allow the player to carry it.  
  
Originally, the Quod would have set time before it exploded, typically a full minute. This explosion completely converts the Quaffle to soot and scraps of leather, and usually causes injuries to the player carrying it. Since 1920, however, the Quod has been bewitched to explode in- between thirty seconds and two minutes after it has been tossed into the game. This provides a much faster paced and more strategic game, as the time may be long enough for that long pass and it might not, with generally hilarious results.  
  
Any player holding the Quod when it detonates must leave the pitch, though the ball very rarely causes any deaths or serious injuries, trained linesmen and Healers are on constant standby, to slow falls and revive the player, usually involving some hair re-growth.  
  
uPlayers:/u there are eleven Players a team in Quodpot, broken up as follows.  
  
bQuodback:/b in charge of procuring the ball for the team. The two Quodbacks float in the centre circle of the field, while the referee fires the Quod upward from a cannon situated on the ground. The two each attempt to knock the Quod backward towards their team, where the real game commences. The Quodbacks are also able to pick up the Quaffle themselves and pass to a team-member, but this is generally not done.  
  
bBlitzers:/b each team has three blitzers. These players are generally the fastest and lightest, their job is to disrupt opposing formations by "buzzing", flying closely to opponents to force them away from the players carrying the Quod. Blitzers are not allowed to handle the Quod until all other players are eliminated from the game. These players are thus the only ones allowed to precede the player carrying the Quod into the opponent's scoring area, a tactic Blitzers are trained for.  
  
bStoppers:/b Stoppers are the antithesis of Blitzers, slow, lumbering, and huge. The team has three stoppers, who must play in their own end. Allowed to carry the Quod, they are generally in charge of the team's defensive end game, able to prevent opponents getting a clear run at the Pot. Normally they will intercept passes and throw them up the field to the forwards, but can also hold the Quod in their own end to force it to explode in the hands of the opponents.  
  
bForwards:/b There are four forwards on the team, and they are the essence of the game. This position is undoubtedly the oldest, as the game once involved merely running up one end of the pitch and tossing the Quod into the Pot. Forwards play anywhere on the field, and are the only players allowed to place the Quod in the Pot. They can do this by getting up close and placing it in, or can shoot from as far away as they wish. Forwards are not allowed to carry the Quod more than ten metres forward, and then must pass to another team member.  
  
uThe Field:/uThe Quodpot field is 105 metres long, divided into 5 zones. The Key areas are both 15 metres long, and situated at opposite ends of the field. Only three players from a team are allowed in the keys at once, including offensive and defensive players. Past the keys are the Interdiction zones, generally referred to as "Inters". This is generally where most passing occurs, and the area is 15 metres long. Defenders and attackers clash in this area, and is also where most explosions occur. By far the widest area is the Neutral Zone, a full 75 metres long. Anything goes in this area, interceptions are common, as are mid-air collisions. The entire field is 50 metres wide, and shaped like a rectangle. The Key is the only zone thinner than that, a semi-circle 15 metres in radius, with the Interdiction zone surrounding it all the way to the back of the field.  
  
The Pots are situated at the top of metal poles, suspended 50 metres off the ground. They are a standard 60-cm in diameter, exactly three times the diameter of the Quod. They are 30 cm deep, and filled with exploding fluid to a depth of 15. They are periodically refilled during the game by linesmen, as splashes frequently douse the field below. If there isn't enough potion in the Pot, it generally needs replaced, as do the Stoppers surrounding it.  
  
The field has remained relatively unchanged since the 1800's, when the game was created. Apart from the establishment of the Key, which prevented Stoppers bludgeoning everyone out of their way and creating a clear path on the ground, the original Quodpot field has remained constant.  
  
IA/N: Next chapter will cover rules and regulations, then after that, the actual teams and "preview". What do you think? Good? Bad? Stick to your day job? Is that English? Comments, Questions and rants can be sent to silvurphlame91@hotmail.com, negative comments can be put into a self addressed, stamped envelope and burned. Please Review!/I 


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